Hydraulic press

ABSTRACT

A hydraulic press comprises a lower cross-piece with a die and actuating cylinders mounted on the cross-piece. The piston rods of the cylinders are connected with an upper removable crosspiece by means of nuts of damping devices mounted in the upper cross-piece and the piston rods are articulated in the actuating cylinders serving at the same time as columns of the press. The surfaces of the rods are provided with screw threads and adjustable nuts are threaded therein to elevate the upper crosspiece and to ensure parallel arrangement of the cross-pieces at the end of the working operation of stamping. The lower crosspiece is mounted on bogies for lateral movement relative to the upper cross-piece.

O United States Patent 1151 3,673,849 Voitsekhovsky et al. July 4, 1972 [54] HYDRAULIC PRESS 2,852,062 9/1958 Lorant ..72/453 [72] lnventors: Bogdan Vyaeheslavovich Voltsekhovsky, 2889507 6/1959 Kennedy "loo/DIG 2,983,159 5/1961 Zellgowsky ..100/214 u11tsa Akadenncheskaya, 2; Alfred Alexan- 3,327,515 6/1967 Beyeler ..72/453 Zuev, 1115a Tereshkm'm 3 450 037 6/1969 Lickliter..... 72/453 37; vhdimil' Nilmlmich 3492940 2/1970 Glascow ..72/446 licha, 14, kv. 65; Valery Nikolaevich Maklmv, "l 'j y 36, Primary ExaminerCharles W. Lanham of Novosoblrskv Assistant Examiner-Gene P. Crosby [22] Filed: Jam 5 1970 Attorney-Waters, Roditi, Schwartz & Nissen [21] App1.No.: 727 [57] ABSTRACT A hydraulic press comprises a lower cross-piece with a die and [52] U.S.Cl ..72/448, 72/453 actuating cylinders mounted on the cross-piece. The piston [51] rods of the cylinders are connected with an upper removable 581 Field oi Search ..72/448, 446, 454, 453, 455, -pi ce y means of nuts of p g devices mounted in 72/456; l00/DlG. 18, 214, 269 R the upper cross-piece and the piston rods are articulated in the actuating cylinders serving at the same time as columns of the 55 References Cited press. The surfaces of the rods are provided with screw threads and adjustable nuts are threaded therein to elevate the UNlTED STATES PATENTS upper cross-piece and to ensure parallel arrangement of the cross-pieces at the end of the working operation of stamping. 3 g s The lower cross-piece is mounted on bogies for lateral move- 01m 658 t l t t th 258,134 5/1882 Schenck.... .....100 1)1G. 18 men re a we 0 e ppercmss place 1,866,559 7/1932 Glasner 100/214 7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEUJUL 4 1012 3,673 849 sum 1 or 4 FIG. I

P'A'TENTEDJULA m2 SHEET 30F 4 M mi HYDRAULIC PRESS The present invention relates to hydraulic presses, employed for stamping metal convex articles from sheets, particularly for stamping bottoms of reservoirs, under pressure.

Known in the prior art are hydraulic presses for stamping metal convex articles from sheets, comprising a movable upper cross-member with a punch and a lower cross-member with a die, said members being interconnected.

In the known presses the working effort is produced usually by a single power hydraulic cylinder, centered with respect to the upper stationary bearing cross-member, said effort acting upon the movable cross-member with the punch, which crossmember moves along the columns relative to the lower crossmember.

The known presses are bulky and their manufacture is labor-consuming. Besides, in the known presses the bending moments due to distortions of the movable cross-member are received by the upper stationary bearing cross-member and columns, the diameter of the latter being severaltimes increased, and the movable cross-member being made solid. In order to relieve the columns from bending a various attachments are additionally used, particularly, mechanical or hydraulic devices or guide shanks are installed on the movable cross-member for its guiding.

However, the employment of various devices intended for eliminating bending stresses in the columns, makes the design of the presses more complicated.

An object of the present invention resides in the provision of a press of a simple design.

Another object of the invention is to relieve the columns of the press from the bending moments in the course of stamp- Still another object of the invention is to provide for convenient mounting and removal of finished articles by means of moving the cross-pieces with respect to each other.

It is also an object of the present invention to ensure even distribution of the working effort along the perimeter of the article being stamped.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide for the alignment of the upper and lower cross-pieces in the at the end of a working stroke.

In accordance with these and other objects of the invention contemplates that in the hydraulic press at least three actuating cylinders are mounted on the lower cross-piece and are removably connected to the upper removable movable crosspiece by their rods, which are articulated to said cylinders.

It is expedient to place the lower cross-piece together with the actuating cylinders on a bogie movable along a railway track, said bogie reciprocating horizontally with respect to the upper removable cross-piece when the workpiece is being placed on the die prior to stamping and the ready article being removed therefrom.

It is also expedient to install the upper movable cross-piece on hydraulic jacks, bearing upon the base, for the purpose of ensuring its removal from the rods of the actuating cylinders before the lower cross-piece is moved out, said upper crosspiece being installed in this position by means of a bracket.

The removable connection of the upper movable removable cross-piece with the rods of the actuating cylinders is referably effected by means of a screw thread on the surfaces of said rods and damping devices with nuts interacting with said screw thread on the rods and installed on the upper removable cross-piece and connected to the driving gear imparting rotation to said nuts.

Each damping device is essentially a shaped bushing, whose lower face portion is fitted into a ring-shaped recess of a ring said recess being filled with elastic material, said ring bearing upon the upper movable cross-piece, while in the upper face of the shaped bushing a stop nut with a sprocket fixed thereon is installed, said nut being rotatable and connected to the piston thread of one of the rods of the actuating cylinders, said sprocket interacting with the chain of the driving gear.

At least one motor can be used as a driving gear of the damping devices, said motor being mounted on a frame, installed by means of sliding friction bearings on the stop nuts of the damping devices, and having guide ring a sprocket, fitted on its drum and interacting with the chain, encompassing the sprockets of the nuts.

It is desirable to locate bearing adjusting nuts on the screw thread of the rods between the cross-pieces, some of said nuts bearing against the upper removable cross-piece in the course of its upward movement under the action of the actuating cylinders, and the others bearing against the lower cross-piece to limit the downward movement of the upper removable cross-piece.

It is expedient to install the rods in the actuating cylinders pivotally by means of a washer, located in the upper portion of the actuating cylinder and bearing upon the adjusting nut, said washer floating with a ring-shaped seal, the internal surface of said washer being made circular, the part of the rod contacting with the cylinder being made with a rounded surface and provided with a ring-shaped seal to eliminate the action of the bending moments upon the rods.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be described hereinbelow by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hydraulic press for stamping metal convex articles from sheets, for example, for stamping reservoir bottoms, according to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows the same press in partial longitudinal section along the hydraulic jack and actuating cylinder;

FIG. 3 shows the same in lateral partial section along the power cylinder; and

FIG. 4 is a top view of the press partly in section along the line l-I of FIG. 2.

When describing the present embodiment of the invention specific terminology is used for the sake of clarity. However, it should be borne in mind, that the invention is not restricted by these narrow terms and that each of these terms embraces all the equivalent elements, operating in a similar manner and used for solving the same problems.

The press according to the present invention comprises a lower cross-piece 1 (FIG. 1), carrying a die 2, an upper movable cross-piece 3 with a punch 4, suspended by means of hydraulic jacks 5, actuating cylinders 6 fastened to the lower cross-piece l, and damping devices 7 with a driving gear 8.

The lower cross-piece l is essentially a welded structure and it is installed with the help of a bogie 9 movable along a railway track 10 (FIG. 2). The lower cross-piece I can be installed stationary, however, this version is not described in the present description.

The upper movable cross-piece 3 is made removable.

The hydraulic jacks 5 are installed on a base and are intended for removing the upper cross-piece 3. In order to synchronize their operation, pressure fluid is delivered through a collector 11 (FIG. 1) from a hydraulic system (not shown in the drawings). Two, three, or more jacks can be used. In the embodiment described herein three hydraulic jacks 5 are used, which are disposed at an angle of to each other around the circumference, which excludes the possibility of distorting the upper cross-piece 3 in the course of its upward or downward movement. The hydraulic jacks 5 bear against brackets 13 of the upper cross-piece 3 by their rods 12 (FIG. 2).

As one possible embodiment, the hydraulic jacks 5 can be installed ofi the base with the a possibility of lateral adjustment for the purpose of shifting the position of the upper movable cross-piece 3 relative to the lower cross-piece 1.

In this case it is expedient to make the lower cross-piece 1 stationary.

The displacement of the cross-pieces with respect to each other is necessary to facilitate charging of the workpieces and removal of the finished articles.

In the actuating cylinders 6, their rods 14 are installed by means of rods pistons 15 (FIG. 2, 3), provided with ringshaped seals 16, and a hinge arrangement 17 at the upper part of said cylinders. The peripheral surfaces of pistons 15 are rounded as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 to provide an articulated connection of rods 14 with respect to cylinders 6.

Each of the hinge arrangements 17 comprises a floating washer 18 with a ring-shaped seal 19, said washer bearing upon a nut 20 and permitting rocking of the rod 14 within cylinder 6.

The rods 14 are provided with a screw thread 21, which extends over the major portion of their length. The screw thread 21 of the rods 14 is intended for connecting said rods to nuts 30 of in the course of lowering the upper cross piece 3 and for locating bearing adjusting nuts 22 and 23 thereon.

Each damping device 7 comprises a shaped bushing 24, whose lower face portion 25 is fitted into a ring-shaped recess 26 of a bearing ring 27. The recess 26 is filled with elastic material 28. In the upper part of the shaped bushing 24 there is a ring-shaped recess 29 for rotatable mounting of one stop nut 30, which carries a sprocket 31 interacting with the chain 32 of the driving gear 8, of the damping devices 7. The chain 32 encompasses all the sprockets 31 of the nuts 30 in order to screw the stop nuts 30 on the screw threads 21 of the rods 14 in the course of the downward movement of the upper crosspiece 3 and unscrew them in the course of the upward movement of said cross-piece 3.

The driving gear 8 consists of motors 33, fixed on a frame 34, installed by means of sliding friction bearings 35 on the stop nuts 30 of the damping devices 7. Fastened to the drums 36 of the motors 33 are sprockets 37 interacting with the chain 32.

The bearing rings 27 of the damping devices 7 are installed on projections 38 of cylindrical bushings 39 fitted into openings 40 in the upper cross-piece 3. The projections 38 ensure the centering of the bearing rings 27 of the damping devices 7.

The openings 40 in the upper cross-piece 3 are evenly spaced around the circumference. The number of said openings 40 corresponds to the number of rods 14 of the actuating cylinders 6.

There are 12 actuating cylinders 6 in the press described herein, but the press can comprise a smaller number of cylinders, namely up to three. In this case for transmitting the same efforts the size of the cylinders is increased and the press design becomes more complicated.

The bogies 9 of the lower cross-piece l are installed by means of brackets 41 and are provided with wheels 42 for travel along the railway track 10. In order to place the lower cross-piece l in the initial position for stamping, stops 43 are provided that are fixed on the railway track 10.

Metal articles are stamped by means of the press according to the invention as follows.

When the upper cross-piece 3 is removed from the rods 14 of the actuating cylinders 6 by means of the hydraulic jacks 5, the lower cross-piece l is moved out by an electric drive (not shown in the drawing) along the railway track 10 from under the upper cross-piece. Then, the workpiece is placed into the die 2 by a crane (not shown in the drawing), and the lower cross-piece 1 is moved back under the upper cross-piece 3 until it bears against the stop 43. Then the pressure in the hydraulic jacks 5, all of which operate synchronously, is relieved, and the upper cross-piece 3 is lowered until the punch 4 bears against the workpiece. The rods 14 of the actuating cylinders 6 pass through the openings 40 in the cylindrical bushings 39 of the upper cross-piece 3 and damping devices 7. In the uppermost position of the piston 15 the stop nuts 30 are fitted on the upper cylindrical shoulders 44 of the rods 14. With the help of the driving gear 8 all the nuts 30 are screwed simultaneously until they bear against the circular recesses 29 of the shaped bushings 24 of the damping devices 7.

The rods of the actuating cylinders can also be moved upwards by only the stop nuts 30 of the damping devices 7.

, After the stop nuts 30 are screwed, until they bear against the lower surface of the upper the nuts 23 are set to the working stroke of the pistons 15 of the actuating cylinders 6.

strokes of the press.

If it is necessary to ensure several working strokes of the pistons (which is required for deep stamping of articles) the direction of the pressure fluid delivery is changed from the spaces 46 above the pistons of the actuating cylinders 6 to the spaces 45 under the pistons, and simultaneously the nuts 23 are installed to the new value of the working stroke of the pistons 15. Simultaneously the rods are moved into the uppermost position together with the driving gear 8, the engagement of said gear 8 causing the stop nuts 30 to be screwed again until they come in contact with the circular recess 29 of the shaped bushing 24. The pressure fluid delivery is respectively changed and the process of stamping is repeated.

On completion of stamping the die set is relieved. For this purpose the stop nuts 30 of the damping devices 7 are fully unscrewed by means of the driving gear 8 and the nuts 22 are advanced upwardly until they bear against the upper cross-piece 3, after which the fluid is delivered into the spaces 45 under the pistons in the actuating cylinders 6. The upper cross-piece 3 is moved upwards and the punch 4 is simultaneously released.

When deep stamping is effected, the punch 4 is released after several strokes of the pistons 15 of the actuating cylinders 6. correspondingly, the nuts 22 are each time screwed until they bear against the upper cross-piece 3.

Then the upper cross-piece 3 is moved to the uppermost position by the hydraulic jack 5, the lower cross-piece 1 is rolled from under it for removing the finished article and for placement of a new blank.

Possible distortions in the position of the rods 14, upper cross-piece 3 and lower cross-piece l are compensated by the damping devices 7 and the articulated connections of the rods 14 in the actuating cylinders 6.

The advantages of the press according to the present invention are as follows.

The press design provides for easy manufacture thereof.

Metal consumption per unit of stamping effort is 15 20 times less than in the conventionally known presses.

The press eliminates bending moments in the rods with the help of the damping devices and owing to the articulated arrangement of the rods in the actuating cylinders.

The press is made self-centering in the range of one working stroke of the pistons of the actuating cylinders, which ensures the possibility of stamping articles when relative shift of the upper cross-piece takes place.

The press is small-sized, but a large space between the die and punch is provided (the diameter being up to 3.5 m

The press can be used both for cold stamping and swaging of large-size articles.

The fact that the rods of the actuating cylinders are located symmetrically allows the cross-pieces to be made as welded strong structures.

Although the present invention is described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it is clear that variations and changes may take place without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, which is evident for those skilled in the art. These variations and changes are considered to be within the spirit and scope of the present invention if defined by the appended claims.

What we claim is:

l. A hydraulic press comprising: a lower cross-piece, a die mounted on said lower cross-piece, an upper cross piece, a punch fastened to said upper cross-piece, actuating cylinders mounted on said lower cross-piece, said actuating cylinders including upwardly projecting threaded rods, damping means on the upper cross-piece for engaging said rods to preclude bending moments in said rods, said damping means including nuts by which said rods are releasably coupled with said upper cross-piece, said rods being articulated in said actuating cylinders and adjusting nuts on said rods to support said upper cross-piece and to insure parallel arrangement of said upper and lower cross-pieces at the end of a stamping operation.

2. A press as claimed in claim 1 comprising a bogie on said lower cross-piece, and bogie being rollable on a track so that the lower cross-piece together with the actuating cylinders are movable with respect to the upper cross-piece.

3. A press as claimed in claim 1 wherein said lower crosspiece is laterally displaceable with respect to the upper crosspiece, said press further comprising hydraulic jacks rigidly secured on a foundation, said upper cross-piece bearing against said jacks and being removable from the rods of the actuating cylinders when the lower cross-piece is laterally displaced.

4. A press as claimed in claim 1 wherein said damping means comprises rings installed in the upper cross-piece, one for each rod, a shaped bushing for each ring including a lower end portion inserted into a circular recess provided in said ring, said recess being filled with elastic material.

5. A press as claimed in claim 4 comprising a sprocket on each nut of said damping means, a drive mechanism for said nuts including a chain coupled to the sprockets on said nuts.

6. A press as claimed in claim 5 in which said drive mechanism for the nuts of the damping means comprises a drum with a sprocket fitted thereon, a frame supporting said drum and sliding friction bearings supporting said frame from the nuts of said damping means.

7. A press as claimed in claim 1 in which the articulation of the rods in said actuating cylinders is effected, on the one hand by a floating washer fitted on each rod and including packing means engaging the rod and the actuating cylinder, and an adjusting nut on the rod supporting the washer from below, and on the other hand, said piston being provided with a peripheral rounded surface with packing rings contacting the actuating cylinder along an inner cylindrical surface thereof. 

1. A hydraulic press comprising: a lower cross-piece, a die mounted on said lower cross-piece, an upper cross piece, a punch fastened to said upper cross-piece, actuating cylinders mounted on said lower cross-piece, said actuating cylinders including upwardly projecting threaded rods, damping means on the upper cross-piece for engaging said rods to preclude bending moments in said rods, said damping means including nuts by which said rods are releasably coupled with said upper cross-piece, said rods being articulated in said actuating cylinders and adjusting nuts on said rods to support said upper cross-piece and to insure parallel arrangement of said upper and lower cross-pieces at the end of a stamping operation.
 2. A press as claimed in claim 1 comprising a bogie on said lower cross-piece, and bogie being rollable on a track so that the lower cross-piece together with the actuating cylinders are movable with respect to the upper cross-piece.
 3. A press as claimed in claim 1 wherein said lower cross-piece is laterally displaceable with respect to the upper cross-piece, said press further comprising hydraulic jacks rigidly secured on a foundation, said upper cross-piece bearing against said jacks and being removable from the rods of the actuating cylinders when the lower cross-piece is laterally displaced.
 4. A press as claimed in claim 1 wherein said damping means comprises rings installed in the upper cross-piece, one for each rod, a shaped bushing for each ring including a lower end portion inserted into a circular recess provided in said ring, said recess being filled with elastic material.
 5. A press as claimed in claim 4 comprising a sprocket on each nut of said damping means, a drive mechanism for said nuts including a chain coupled to the sprockets on said nuts.
 6. A press as claimed in claim 5 in which said drive mechanism for the nuts of the damping means comprises a drum with a sprocket fitted thereon, a frame supporting said drum and sliding friction bearings supporting said frame from the nuts of said damping means.
 7. A press as claimed in claim 1 in which the articulation of the rods in said actuating cylinders is effected, on the one hand by a floating washer fitted on each rod and including packing means engaging the rod and the actuating cylinder, and an adjusting nut On the rod supporting the washer from below, and on the other hand, said piston being provided with a peripheral rounded surface with packing rings contacting the actuating cylinder along an inner cylindrical surface thereof. 